veterans-oriented fisher house may go up in albuquerque

The Albuquerque campus of the Raymond G. Murphy Veterans Administration center at 1501 San Pedro Drive SE may see construction, beginning later this year or in early 2019, on a facility specifically designed to house veterans and their families.
The Fisher House - one of 75 such facilities nationally, as well as in Great Britain and Germany - provides bedrooms and bathrooms for veterans who are receiving medical treatment, as well as their families who frequently accompany them.
Such homes are the product of the Fisher House Foundation, which was formed in 1990 by philanthropist Zachary Fisher and his wife Elizabeth.
Typically measuring anywhere from 5,000 to 16,800 square feet, with 8 to 21 suites, Fisher Homes also feature a common living room, dining room, laundry facilities, and kitchen.
There are Fisher Homes today in nearly 30 states, including Arizona and Colorado. The Albuquerque facility will be the first of its kind in New Mexico.
According to the Fisher House Foundation, such facilities through the years have saved the families of veterans a cumulative $200 million in expenses that would otherwise have gone to securing lodging and transportation.
The Fisher House in Albuquerque will have 16 suites and is expected to cost $6 million to build. It will be two stories in height, topped with the same kind of pitched roof that distinguishes other Fisher Houses across the country.
Organizers are currently in the process of trying to raise $3 million for the house. The other $3 million will come as a match from the Fisher House Foundation itself.

by Garry Boulard

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